Cables are utilized to facilitate communication between a wide variety of different types of electronic devices, such as host devices and client devices. For example, cables may be utilized to facilitate communications between a computer and various client devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet, or a digital camera. Certain cables may additionally be configured to power or charge client devices via power received from a host device. For example, a wide variety of conventional communications cables, such as conventional universal serial bus (“USB”) cables, include copper conductors that facilitate both communication and transmission of a power signal. However, as consumer expectations drive the need for higher data transfer rates, the use of copper conductors for data transmission becomes infeasible.
In order to obtain higher data transfer rates, active optical cables have been developed. Active optical cables include one or more optical fibers capable of transmitting data at higher rates that copper conductors. Additionally, active optical cables often include built in optical to electrical (“O2E”) interfaces at either end of the cable. However, in conventional active optical cables, these O2E interfaces are individually powered by the respective devices connected at either end of the cable. Accordingly, it is often necessary that each device be capable of supplying power to its respective interface. Additionally, these conventional O2E cables do not permit a client device to be powered by a remote device. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for improved communication cables, and more particularly, improved active optical cables.